Tori Mehaffey

Rehearsal Director, Dancer

Tori is a creative movement specialist, choreographer, dance educator and performing artist. She received her BFA diploma through The Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance Program – recipient of the Dance Performance Award & Lawrence Gradus Choreographic Scholarship upon her graduating year. This artist is a two time Dora Awards nominee for Outstanding Female Performance in Dance and for Ensemble Performance. After dancing for companies and renowned artists for several years – Tori’s focus has shifted to the creation of her own visions. With storytelling as the main objective – she is currently working on bringing a new project to life – so stay tuned. 

Sasha Ludavicius

Training Coordinator, Dancer

Sasha Ludavicius is a professional freelance contemporary dance artist in Toronto. She studied ballet internationally but discovered her passion for contemporary dance in Montreal. Ludavicius was the recipient of the ProArteDanza’s SIP Apprenticeship Award and apprenticed with ProArteDanza during their 2015 season. She has been dancing with the company ever since she received her first apprentice contract. In 2016, she graduated from The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She was selected to be a part of the 2017/18 RBC Emerging Artists Project with Peggy Baker Dance Projects. Additionally, she is a freelance contemporary dance teacher, personal trainer as well as a certified yoga instructor in Toronto. For the past two years, she has been the Training Coordinator and the Rehearsal Director for ProArteDanza’s Summer Dance Intensive Program.

Kelly Shaw

Dancer

Kelly Shaw is a BFA honours graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance program, and recipient of the 2018 Jack McAllister award. She is a Tkarón:to/Toronto-based free-lance dance artist currently collaborating with ProArte Danza, Human Body Expression, Guillaume Cote (Cote Danse), Transcendance Project, Alysa Pires Dance Projects and Echo Chamber Choir. She is a 2010 and 2018 Dora Mavor Moore nominee.

       Kelly was a part of the Toronto Lighthouse Immersive (Cote Danse) production of “Touch” 2021. Recently, she has toured internationally to work in Germany and Korea, and has returned multiple times as a performer for Festival International de DansEncore and Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. Kelly is an educator and choreographer across North America, a certified Pilates and Barre instructor, and most recently certified as a life coach.

 

Connor Mitton

Dancer

Connor Mitton is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Performance Dance Program and a 2018 Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance, Ensemble. He has toured with ProArteDanza and performed in James Kudelka’s Fifteen Heterosexual Duets, Elvis and the Man in Black, and Romeo and Juliet before Parting. Recognized by NOW Magazine as one of 2017’s breakthrough Toronto stage artists, Connor has worked with William Yong, Hanna Kiel, Kate Hilliard, Heidi Strauss, Apolonia Valesquez, Ofilio Portillo, Release Dance Project, ACE Dance Theatre, Zata Omm Dance Projects, Avinoam Silverman, and Allan Kaeja. His passion has taken him to Springboard Danse Montreal and RUBBERBANDance Group and has performed original works by Phoenix Project Dance and dance artist Belinda McGuire.

Eleanor van Veen

Dancer

Eleanor is a Tkaronto-based mover, collaborator, performer, and instructor. She has performed works by Alysa Pires, Hanna Kiel, Malgorzata Nowacka, Metamorphosis Dance, Meghann Michalsky, Naishi Wang, Robert Glumbek, Susana Pous, and Sylvie Moquin. Across Canada, she has worked with Human Body Expression, Nostos Collectives, ProArteDanza, and Project InTandem. Since graduating from The Conteur Academy, she has meticulously pursued her dance training in Toronto, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal. As a physical vessel in her own movement practice and for the visions of her collaborators, she recognizes her privilege to move, and she is a vigorous, expansive, precise, supple, and curious mover.

Jake Poloz

Dancer

Jake Poloz, a graduate of the Conteur Academy, is a Toronto based artist and choreographer. He has had the opportunity to perform works by Matt Luck, Hanna Kiel, Anisa Tejpar, Alyssa Martin, Tori Mehaffey, Robert Glumbeck, and Roberto Campanella.  Jake has performed with companies ProArteDanza, Hit & Run Dance Productions, Human Body Expression, and Boucherdanse. He was also a recent participant in adelhaid’s re:research in the process of Benjamin Landsberg, and a participant in Springboard Danse Montreal, performing works by Marco Goecke and La Tresse. Jake recently presented his own work I’ve seen you naked in the 2019 Hamilton Fringe Festival and will be creating a piece for the Fall session of The Garage.

Carleen Zouboules

Dancer

Carleen graduated with a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2020 and has had a thriving professional dance career since. Carleen performed in Guillaume Côté’s 50-minute duet and immersive contemporary dance show “Touch”. She recently performed in The Bicycle Opera Company’s film “Sweat”. Carleen was a choreographer this year for Night Shift presented by Citadel + Compagnie in collaboration with FFDN. Carleen has danced for Canadian Indigenous dance company, Red Sky Performance and has performed at Fall For Dance North twice; in Jera Wolfe’s “Flow” and Anne Plamondon’s “Fiddle Embrace”. Commercially, Carleen has been seen dancing at the VMA’s, on the new season of Mission Explained, and can be spotted in Wedluxe and Stylezette magazine. Carleen is a proud member of ProArteDanza and is thrilled to be performing this season!

 

Evan Webb

Dancer

Evan Webb (they/them) hails from Calgary, Alberta, and is currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Before focusing on becoming a dance artist, Evan was well versed in various movement practice’s and visual art forms, lending to a desire to naturally perform authentically and idiosyncratically in all aspects of movement expression. They attended Toronto Metropolitan University (former Ryerson) in the Performance Dance program. While at TMU Evan has had the opportunity to work with William Yong, Matjash Mrozewski, Anne Plamondon, Peggy Baker, Jera Wolfe, and Dylan Crossman in the repertoire of Merce Cunningham. Outside of academia, Evan has furthered his training by participating in RubberBand Dance Group Winter Intensive, and Springboard Danse Montreal 2019. Experiences of being ostracized and abused as a member of the LGBTQ+ community have given them a unique perspective, and influenced their artistic values. Evan has always been fascinated by the ways in which people interact with each other. They continue to research gender, sexuality, and politics in Art practice.

Joey Arrigo

Dancer

Joey Arrigo is an artist residing in Toronto, Ontario. As well as ProArteDanza, Joey performs with Transcen|Dance Project’s production of “A Grimm Night”. Joey was on tour with Cirque du Soleil’s VOLTA as the principal character of “Waz” and Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA as “The Trickster”. Since 2015, Joey has worked with Acrobatic Arts in creating tutorials for training programs. Joey was one of Canada’s Top 20 dancers on CTV’s “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” and went on to perform for Ukraine’s “Everybody Dance.” Joey is now also known as “Vita Love”, from the Canadian Drag family, “The Haus of Love.” Vita premiered her first short film alongside director, Francis Luta and opened this year’s Prism event “Revivial”.

Giulia Petti

Apprentice

Giulia Petti is an Italian dancer and recipient of the ProArteDanza’s SIP Apprenticeship Award. Giulia completed her studies in ballet and contemporary dance in Italy at the Balletto di Roma and in 2019 joined Arts Umbrella where she had the opportunity to get in touch with renowned choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Lukas Timulak, Leslie Telford, James Kudelka and Shannon Gillen. Since then, she’s been interested in the research and discovery of the personal movement and has started her studies of Gaga’s technique in Italy. In the last two years she danced as a freelancer in Europe in various experimental art projects. Recently Giulia performed with Soqquadro and Kivos Ensemble and collaborated with AlphaZT dance company.

 

Taylor Bojanowski

Dancer

Taylor Bojanowski is a Toronto based dance artist and graduate of Ryerson University’s Performance Dance BFA Program, studying under the direction of Vicki St. Denys. While at Ryerson, Taylor was the 2017 recipient of the “Theatre Dance Program” award. Throughout her professional training she’s had the pleasure of working and performing with many prominent choreographers including Janes Kudelka, Roberto Campanella, Robert Glumbeck, Tori Mehaffey, Kaeja d’Dance and Kevin O’Day. Taylor had the privilege of being the understudy for the ProArteDanza 2016/17 season and worked alongside the company. She was the recipient of the 2017 Apprentice Contract. Taylor is also a freelance contemporary teacher and choreographer.

Christopher Valentini

Dancer

Christopher Valentini is a recent graduate of the BFA Performance dance program at Ryerson University. During his time studying he has had the opportunity to work with many choreographers including Robert Glumbeck, Hanna Kiel, William Yong, Vicky St.Denys, David Earle, and Gadfly. Over the summer he got to work on a submission in the Luminato Festival with D.A. Hoskins’, The Coating Project. This will be his second season performing with ProArteDanza.

Daniel McArthur

Dancer

Daniel McArthur is a Toronto based DORA nominated performer. He has performed in over 100 new works touring Canada, the United States, and the Middle East. He was born right here in Toronto and has been gifted to work with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company II, ProArteDanza, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, James Kudelka, and Citadel + Compagnie along with other truly fabulous people. Also, crazy as it may sound, you can hear Daniel’s voice acting on the upcoming AAA title “Agony” as well as on the video game Marvel Avengers Academy.  Daniel is the co-author of the upcoming children’s book “Sheldon the Selfish Shellfish”.